


What happened?

by NYWCgirl



Category: White Collar
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Temporary Amnesia, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 13:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10190873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYWCgirl/pseuds/NYWCgirl
Summary: Neal suffers from Transient global Amnesia when he is tortured to gain information from Peter.





	

“Leave him, he doesn´t know anything.” Peter calls out.

“We know, agent Burke, that makes it all the more fun, doesn´t it?”

For emphasis, one of the men standing next to Neal, slams his fist in his ribs. Neal is already semi-conscious. The hits pushes him over and knocks him out completely. He goes limp.

“NEAL! You son of a bitch.” Peter pulls on his restraints.

“Spare me your ranting. I will try this one more time. Where is the evidence from the Moran case? Is it still in the FBI building? Or is it already transferred?”

“And like I said before. I DON´T KNOW!” Peter shouts.

“That is too bad for your friend here.”

Neal is dragged to the outdoor swimming pool. Peter still has a good view from where they tied him up.

“Wakey, wakey, Caffrey.”

One of the goons pinches Neal´s Trapezius. With a low groan Neal fights his way back to consciousness.

“You back with us, Caffrey?”

Neal just glares at his captors.

“So, what will it be, agent Burke?”

Peter locks eyes with Neal. He tries to convey Neal he is sorry for what is going to happen next. Before any of them can react, Neal is dumped in the freezing water and held there. Peter can see Neal struggling against the hands that are keeping him under water.

“STOP! You will drown him.”

“You are right about that.”

Jeff, that is the name he introduced himself with, snaps his fingers and Neal is pulled out again. He gasps for air and takes big gulps. He stares around in confusion.

“Neal?”

“Where am I?”

“Agent Burke, think careful now. He may not be so lucky next time.”

“Where am I” Neal repeats, “how did we get here?”

“Shut up Caffrey.” The man snaps.

Neal studies Jeff and the confusion is still clear on his face, there is no recognition what so ever. It worries Peter.

“Where am I?” Neal looks around, “who are you?”

“Neal, it is OK.”

“Shut up!” Jeff shouts at the two men.

“Peter? What is happening?”

Peter can hear the fear in Neal´s voice. He isn´t faking this. What happened? Did Neal have a stroke?

“We were taken, remember?”

Neal stares blankly, there is no recognition whatsoever. Panic is written all over his face when he shakes his head.

“I don´t.”

“How touching, look, you tell me what I want to hear or your friend here takes another nose dive in the pool.”

Neal stares at the man. “Who are you?”

“Nice try Caffrey, but I´m not impressed, so… What will it be, agent Burke?”

“I told you before, I don´t know.”

Jeff snaps his fingers and the two goons pull Neal towards the pool. He resists and instinctively tries to pull away.

“Peter? What is happening? I don´t understand.”

Peter is now convinced that Neal isn´t kidding. Something must have happened. Maybe he had a bleed in his brain. They were knocked out when they were taken, but when they woke, Neal seemed fine.

“Neal! I´m sorry, I…”

Neal is pushed forward into the pool and held down again. He struggles but the two men are just too strong.

Peter is shouting by now. He is pulling on his restraints. His voice is hoarse but he keeps up a constant litany that he doesn´t know where the evidence is and to let Neal go.

The men pull Neal out of the pool. He gasps, wheezes and gags.

“Neal?”

“THE EVIDENCE! BURKE! I´m done playing nice.”

“And like I told you before, I don´t know! Once the evidence is collected, it is taken away. I don´t know where it is taken to. It can be any FBI evidence warehouse. Leave him alone. Can´t you see you have done enough damage?”

Neal is getting his breathing back under control, together with being dripping wet, he makes a miserable picture. Peter is worried about the still confused look on Neal´s face. But he can´t do anything when Neal is dragged to a support beam. The restraints around his wrists are attached to a rope and his hands are pulled above his head.

“Peter? Where are we? What happened?”

Neal is backhanded across the face.

“Stop trying to con us Caffrey.”

“He isn´t conning you. Your goons must have given him a concussion or worse.”

One of the men comes back with a piece of duct tape and tapes it over Neal´s mouth.

“Problem solved!” Jeff smiles, “it is not like I need Caffrey to talk. So…”

Jeff picks up a baseball bat and walks back to Neal. He doesn´t look at Neal, he just locks eyes with Peter.

“So tell me Peter, where do you want me to hit him first? Since you don´t know anything, doesn´t mean we can´t have a bit of fun.”

“Neal! It is going to be OK. I know you are confused, but I´m here.”

Neal nods but the fear is pouring of him.

“Make your choice Burke, or I will decide for you. Maybe I should knock some sense back into him, what do you think?”

“I´m sorry Neal.”

Before Peter can say anything more, Jeff strikes Neal´s upper right leg. The sound that comes from behind Neal´s gag makes Peter´s blood curdle. It almost sounds inhuman. Peter will hear that scream in his nightmares.

“Tick Tock, Burke.”

“I DON´T KNOW!”

Jeff aims for another hit when…

“FBI… ON THE FLOOR, NOW!”

A SWAT team busted down the door. The shear amount of agents that take over the space, makes the three men surrender almost immediately.

Diana unties Peter while Jones is holding Neal up to relief some of the strain on his wrists. One of the SWAT members cuts Neal loose. They lay Neal on the floor and Jones rips off the tape. Neal takes a deep breath but immediately grits his teeth.

“What happened? My leg hurts.” He gasps.

“Your leg is broken.” Peter says while kneeling next to Neal. His voice sis hoarse and sounds painful. “What happened to your voice?”

Jones looks disturbed at Peter, who gives him a small shake with his head.

“I´m just coming down with something.” Peter croaks.

Neal nods.

“What happened.” Neal asks while studying all the agents around him, ”did the op go south?”

“Are you alright?” Jones asks Neal.

“Yeah, but how did I get here?”

“Don´t worry about it.” Peter pats Neal on the arm, but it doesn´t lower the uncertainty on his face, “do you trust us?”

Neal nods without hesitation.

“Good, we are going to wait for the EMT´s. We will explain later.”

Neal nods again, before he gets that confused look again. “What happened to my leg?”

Peter is saved from having to answer when two EMT´s run into the space with a gurney. Peter and Jones help Neal to lay down on the gurney. Neal turns deadly pale and before he can warn anybody he vomits. Luckily he turned his head, so it isn´t on himself.

Jones hands Neal a bottle of water and he gratefully rinses his mouth.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Neal Caffrey.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“”Who are you?”

“Sorry, my name is Jerry and that is Louis. So, what happened?”

“I don´t know, I can´t remember? Did I have a stroke? Was I drugged? What happened?”

“It´s OK not to remember, we will have you checked out in hospital. Let me give you something for the pain, OK?”

“Peter, how did we get here?”

The EMT looks at Peter and understands the silent plea from Peter to step away.

“Neal, I´m going to get a splint for your leg. I will be right back.”

Neal looks anxious at Peter. “Please, don´t leave me.”

“It´s OK, Neal. I am not leaving you.”

“Neal, why don´t you lay down. I will give you something against the pain.” One of the EMT´s asks.

“How did I hurt my leg?”

The EMT quickly inserts an IV in Neal´s hand, administrating fluids and something to calm Neal down. The fear slowly retreats from Neal´s face.

“What happened?” the EMT asks Peter.

“I don´t know, we were interrogated and Neal was submerged in the pool. Afterwards it seemed like he had amnesia and he kept repeating the same questions. First I thought he was trying to confuse our captors, but he really doesn´t remember.”

“We are ready here.” Louis calls out. They walk back to the gurney and Peter can see Louis put an inflatable splint around Neal´s leg. Neal seems relaxed, so Peter guesses it has to do with the IV.

They load Neal into the waiting ambulance and Peter is also taken to be checked out.

“Where are we going?”

“We were told to take Neal to Presbyterian, they have a specialized neurology department.”

Peter nods and closes his eyes. That is good, because something is definitely wrong with Neal.

“Hey, stay awake, OK.”

“I´m fine, they didn´t harm me.”

“Still, I want you to be checked out. So please stay awake. So what is the deal with you two? You are FBI, right?”

“Yeah, we are.”

 

* *  *

 

Peter is discharged fairly quickly, they checked him over and except for some fatigue, mild dehydration and a sore throat, he gets a clean bill of health. He asks if he can wait until Neal is examined. The doctor agrees because he is thinks it is a good idea that Neal has a familiar face.

“Mister Caffrey is a bit agitated but that is understandable under the circumstances..”

“What is wrong with him? Did he have a stroke?” Peter formulates his greatest fear.

“No, we ruled out a stroke. We did a series of tests but couldn´t find anything wrong except for the broken femur, bruising and dehydration.”

“What is with the amnesia?”

“Well, it may sound strange, but it will go away on its own.”

Peter looks a bit skeptical.

“I consulted with two other neurologists, but we are fairly sure mister Caffrey has Transient Global Amnesia. There is no apparent cause, but I was told by the first responders that mister Caffrey was submerged in cold water.”

“Yes, he was, twice.”

“Is Mister Caffrey prone to migraines?”

“I know he has them, but not frequently.”

“Well, we know that people that suffer from migraines are more likely to experience this variation of amnesia. Being exposed to the cold water could have triggered it.”

“What is the prognosis?”

“Good, we know this sort of amnesia normally is gone within twenty four hours. No treatment or medication is needed, it will resolve on its own and there are no known aftereffects. We made a follow-up appointment, also with a therapist since he won´t remember the last twenty four hours, which can be a bit disconcerting. I also made a follow-up appointment for his leg.”

“So, he is good to go?”

“Yes, he will still be a bit groggy from the sedation we gave him to set his leg, but he is good to leave.”

The doctor takes Peter to see Neal. He is already waiting in a wheelchair. He is pale and drawn, his leg is in a full cast. Peter signs off the paperwork and accepts the appointment card for the follow-us.

“Are you ready to go, Neal?”

Neal opens his eyes and looks up at Peter.

“Why are we in hospital?”

“You broke your leg, see?” he points at the cast.

Neal nods when he sees the cast, then frowns, “How did I break my leg?”

“Let´s just go home. El is waiting for us at home. Jones and Diana are up front to take us there.

“OK.”

 

* *  *

 

Once they arrive home, Neal is tired, paler than in hospital and agitated. He doesn´t understand what is going on and what happened.

“Do you trust us, Neal?

“Yes;”

“OK, Let’s get inside. I know you must ache fiercely. El made us tomato soup. We will eat, you take your pills and then you will rest. The doctor said you would feel better.”

“When did we see a doctor?” Neal asks.

“When you were in the hospital for your leg.” El greets them. She kisses peter and gives Neal a peck on the cheek.

“How did I break my leg?”

“Don´t worry about it. Do you want grilled cheese sandwiches with your tomato soup?”

Neal´s eyes light up, “Are we having tomato soup? Good, I´m hungry.”

El smiles and starts making them. Neal is playing with Satchmo; while Peter talks to Diana. When the food is ready, they eat and afterwards Neal lays down on the couch.

He wakes when Peter enters the living room after he took Satchmo for a walk.

“How are you feeling?”

“My leg hurts. What happened to it?”

“You broke it during one of our ops.”

Neal is staring like he is searching his memory.

“I can´t remember? Was I drugged?”

“No, but you have amnesia.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. El has dinner ready. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, I must say I am.”

“Good, I will help you to the table.”

Together they shuffle to the table and it is obvious Neal is happy to sit down. Peter puts a stool with a cushion next to the table so Neal can rest his leg on it.

El and Peter try to make normal conversation. But Neal´s addled brain keeps him asking the same questions. They decide to watch some sitcoms and Neal falls asleep on the couch.

“Hey buddy, you need to wake up, you will be more comfortable in the guest bedroom. There is also no toilet down here.”

Neal nods tiredly.

Peter and Neal help Neal to the stairs where he sits down and scoots up the stairs. Once they gave him settled in the bed, Peter hands him some pills and a glass of water.

“Peter?”

“Yes Neal?”

“Something happened? Didn´t it?”

Peter nods, “I will tell you tomorrow.”

“OK, will you also tell me why I can´t remember?”

“I will, I promise. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

 

* *  *

 

The next morning Neal slowly wakes because his leg hurts. He pulls the covers away and stares at the cast around his leg. What happened?

He searches his mind, but he comes up blank. He sees he is in the guest bedroom of the Burkes. But he doesn´t know how he got there. He needs to pee, so he needs to get up.

First things first. He scans the room, but he can´t locate crutches. He tries to get up, but groans when the pain hits him. Maybe he should call out to Peter, but before he can, Peter walks into the room, smiling when he sees Neal is awake.

“Good morning, how are you feeling?”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

“Of course, here, let me help you.”

“What happened?” Neal asks while washing his hands. He looks in the mirror towards Peter and can see disappointment in Peter´s face.

“We were taken and questioned about some evidence. But let’s have breakfast before discussing this.”

“Sure.”

El made blueberry pancakes and Neal enjoys them with some tea, he is told that the doctors told them he couldn´t have coffee.

“So I guess I broke my leg during the questioning?” Neal says emphasizing the word questioning.

“Yeah, you…” Peter stops eating, “you remember me saying that?”

Neal frowns at peter, “You just told me in the bathroom.”

Peter lets out a shaky laugh, but it is full of relief.

“Welcome back, Neal.”

“Where have I been?”

“You really got me worried, buddy.”

“I´m drawing a blank here. You are going to help me out, I don´t seem to remember the questioning part.”

“What is the last thing you remember?”

**Author's Note:**

> Neal suffers from Transient global Amnesia in this story.   
> It is a real form of amnesia with an sudden onset, verified by a witness. There is normal cognition, such as the ability to recognize and name familiar objects and follow simple directions. The duration is no more than 24 hours. You do remember who you are and recognize the people you know well. No treatment is needed. It resolves itself within 24 hours.


End file.
